


Stars Eternal

by Ceridawn



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, basically she has a class while all the others are npcs, maybe if you squint, mostly just rayla thinking, she is the only one with real training, this may be rayla/callum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 06:49:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17075417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceridawn/pseuds/Ceridawn
Summary: Rayla muses on change, danger, and trust.





	Stars Eternal

**Author's Note:**

> For Raspbi in the tdp secret exchange on tumblr. They wanted Rayla, hurt/comfort, and maybe a touch of Rayllum. I hope you enjoy.

This was different. Not the stars themselves, they were still the same. At least, Rayla thought they were. In some ways it seemed wrong for them to stay the same when everything else was changing so very much. A few weeks, she never would have thought they could seem to go so slowly and yet so quickly all at once. Then again, she never thought a lot of things would happen that seemed to be happening.

She didn't think her parents would abandon their post, something that had always been so important to them. Didn't think she would come to care for a bunch of humans, royal humans at that. She had never thought that so much would come to rest on her, the actions she took and the decisions she made. Never thought there would be a day when maybe the war that had been looming her whole life could end, possibly even happily.

Rayla never thought she would raise her blades against Runaan for anything other than training.

Small wonder, then, that it seemed like even the stars themselves should be changing. Everything else was. The whole world, every truth she had ever known, coming undone around her. And no time to stop and catch her breath, not with everything that was at stake. Not when her companions were untrained. They had somehow managed to survive what they had faced so far, just barely most of the times, but she couldn't trust their luck to hold.

Which left her with the responsibility of being the team leader during what was supposed to be her first mission. And this mission was very different from any type that she had ever received training for.

What was going to happen to all of them if she messed up? What if she panicked again, like when Bait was in the river, but this time those few seconds counted? What if she really wasn't any better than her parents and failed when it really mattered?

What if it cost her Ezran, who was so young even by human standards? Or Bait, who may be grumpy and steal food but also seemed okay enough? What if she lost Zym? He was the dragon prince, the hope for peace. Only a few days old, everything rested on them getting him back to Xadia successfully. But even adult dragons weren't invincible and he was so terrifyingly small. Or what if something happened to Callum, now that he no longer had his primal stone? Without that he was just another untrained child.

"Rayla? Are you okay?"

She was startled from her thoughts by Callum's question, turning to look at where he was beginning to push himself up off of the ground. His expression was concerned, though she could also read the sleep still heavy there. Unlike her, he hadn't been trained in traveling and how to stay up for watch. Even the shorter ones she had been giving him seemed to be taking a toll.

"Nothin' Callum. Go back to sleep, you need it."

"If there's something wrong, you should tell me. We're a team."

She stayed silent for a moment, before whispering. "Are we though?"

A look of confusion passed over his face. "Well yeah. We fought a sea monster and saved Zym together. And now we are taking him to Xadia to end the war. I would say that makes us a team."

And he sounded so sure, as if everything was really that simple. And maybe it was. For the first time that night, Rayla felt a small smile form on her face.

Turning, she let her eyes travel over everyone. Ezran was young yes. But he was also compassionate. He had never hesitated to do what he thought was right, even when things were dangerous. It was only because of him that they even had the chance to take Zym home in the first place. And his ability to understand animals, whatever it may actually be, was worth something.

Bait wasn't just some pet either. He was loyal to Ezran and had saved all of them more than once with his flashes. Ezran had done well training him, even if his manners weren't the best.

Zym night be small, but his power wasn't. He had managed to save her hand after all, just minutes after hatching. That was no small act of magic. And he might not know how to use it yet, but he used it then. She would just have to trust that he could use it again if he really needed to.

Finally her eyes fell on Callum, still watching her. He might not have the primal stone anymore, but he still might have potential. A good human mage wasn't something she even knew could exist before now, but Rayla is honestly pretty sure that she has found one in Callum. He is kind and funny, willing to look foolish to make his brother laugh. And he certainly doesn't lack bravery, he proved that mere minutes after they first met. 

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Now really, go back to sleep or you will be completely useless tomorrow."

They weren't perfect, not the best suited for the mission they were on. But perhaps they weren't the worst choices either. Maybe what they were doing took a different sort of team, one not at all like anything she could have imagined while still training. A lot of things were different now, but not all of them were bad. Her new friends had proven a lot of her beliefs wrong, but those corrections also brought hope for a better future.

Besides, some things didn't change. The stars were still up there shiny brightly. Making sure that she knew what way to go, to lead everyone back to Xadia. Back home. And while there were bound to be some changes, some things she could count on as well. The people around her were some of those things, she hoped. 

They may not be as unchanging as the stars, but hopefully her trust in them was just as well-placed.


End file.
